How to Math with Your Child

Now that summer break is here and most kids are out of school, it’s time for kids to take a break from their school year routine. Most parents are eager to help their children do well in school during the school year, but sometimes that eagerness to help them during summer can dissipate. Don’t let this happen in your household! There are plenty of ways you can help your child keep the knowledge they learned during the school year and prevent summer slide (1 - 2.5 months of knowledge regression). Parents play a huge role in instilling and keeping number sense in their kids.

Many parents regularly read to their children, but not nearly as many mathwith their children. Using math as a verb might not be common, yet, we all understand what it means. And, really, do you math with your kid? Parents understand the necessity of reading with and to their child, but when it comes to mathing with their child, they often just don’t do it. This is especially true once kids move past primary school math into things like pre-algebra and above. Part of this is because many parents simply haven’t been taught how to help their kids math.

With that said, here’s an introduction to the verb math, mathed, mathing.

: to practice math

: to work on developing number sense and numerical fluency

: to use math skills in everyday life

Here are examples of how it can be used:

“I’m going to my room. I’m mathing and I need a quieter place to concentrate.”

“Let’s math together after dinner.”

“I mathed with Dad last night while we were eating ice cream.” 

Many people may think of the basics with they think of math, and to be fair, it may only appear as though basic math skills are used in most peoples’ daily life. Things like counting, addition, subtraction and multiplication are all used by most people weekly, if not daily. However, mathing is as important to your child’s cognitive development as reading. This is because like reading, you can’t just take it for face value. Just as reading allows you to unlock imagination and understand the world around you, math, too sets a foundation for larger types of more conceptual thinking. Things like spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, complex problem solving, physics, symmetry, critical thinking, estimation and memory are all practiced when you use various types of math. 

Mathing is then as important as reading – especially for kids struggling in math. And it can be fun! Children don’t innately hate math. They hate feeling behind and being confused and frustrated. Mathing with your child can help them better comprehend numerical fluency and number sense, which in turn will give them confidence. Helping them work through and tackle problems not only can prevent them from being embarrassed by math, it can actually spark curiosity and passion for it. 

Here are some simple dos and don’ts to help your kid with mathing in the school year and summer.

Dos:

1. Do math with your child, just as you read with them. Each night, split your time between reading and math or add time for math to the pre-bedtime routine.
2. Do make sure your child stays on top of homework. Whether they’re given an assignment in school to finish or whether they’re attending a Mathnasium Summer Programwhere they have practice work, ask your student about whether they need to complete any assignments before screen time and before they go to bed at night. 
3. Do meet with your child’s math teachers and/or tutors on a regular basis so that you’re aware of what’s going on behind the scenes of just a report card. I.e. how is your child’s attitude, do they need extra help, do they need more enrichment, etc. Working with those who regularly see your child math is a good way to set realistic goals for the year and for the future. 

Don’ts:

1. Don’t let your negative thoughts and/or experiences with math influence your kid’s education. So many adults have trauma around math and lack confidence as a result. Like any negative behavior in your past, break the cycle! If you are not able to math with your child beyond primary level, find another adult, student or tutor who can. 
2. Don’t let your child use a calculator until they have developed numerical fluency and number sense. Pressing buttons to get results without understanding conceptually is a hinderance and will end up hurting them once concepts build on each other. Using finger countingcan be helpful up to a certain level, which can be encouraged over calculators for younger students. 
3. Don’t let your child be placed in a math class that they don’t have the skills for yet. In other words, if your child doesn’t have the prerequisite knowledge necessary for success in the class, keep them where they’re at or help them fill in the gaps that they’re missing to move up to the next class by mathing with them.

Following these dos and don’ts won’t guarantee that your child will flourish in math or will develop a passion for it, but they will help you understand where they’re at and where they might need help. And in the end, mathing should be commonly practiced across all households, just like reading, regardless of the results. Want to learn more about the summer math programs we offer at Mathnasium or Parker to help your child math? Give us a call! (303) 840-1184.